Gate-operating mechanism.



E. PHELPS.

GATE OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. Is. 1915.

1,175,985. a Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

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I f' -J EL VTUI,Ii

E. PHELP'S.

GATE UPERATING MECHANISIVI.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. IB. 1915.

l 175,985 Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\ l Arromvfys E. PHELPS.

GATE OPERATING MECHANISM.

THE CDLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH .50., WASHINGTUN, D. c.

entran EUGENE PHELPS, 0F PTCHFORK, WYOMING.

GATE-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

Application filed March 18, 1915. Serial No. 15,211.

To czZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, EUGENE PHELPS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pitchfork, in the county of Park and State of Wyoming, have invented a new and improved Gate-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description.

This invention relates to gates, and more particularly to gate operating mechanisms whereby a gate can be opened from a point at either side thereof without the driver or rider being required to get off the vehicle. or horse for the purpose of manually opening the gate in the ordinary manner.

The invention has for its general objects to provide a comparatively simple, inexpensive and efficient gate-operating mechanism of such design that the gate can be opened at a point suitably in advance thereof, and the gate will remain open a predetermined length of time and thenautomatically close without any further attention on the part of the peison driving or riding through the gate.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a gate-opening means in combination with a latch releasing device opei'ating after a given interval of time to release the latch from the gate so that the latter will close autcinatically by means of weights or equivalent means.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a toggle device which operates to swing the gate open and closed, and which when the gate is closed maintains the same rigidly in such position without the free end of the gate having to be locked to a stop post, and yet the gate cannot be forced open in any way except by the operation of the toggle device.

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all tlie views, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the gate in closed position; Fig. 2 is a side view of the gate-operating means with the gate in closed position; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3 3, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a side view of the gate-operating means with the` gate in open position; Fig. 5 is an enlarged edge view of the special form `of hinge for the toggle device; Fig. 6 is a side view of the hinge; Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 7 7, Fig. 3; Fig. S is a sectional view of the time-controlled latch releasing device, the section being taken on the line 8 8, Fig. 9; Fig. 9 is a vertical section on the line 9 9, Fig. 8; and Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view of parts of the time-controlled latch releasing device.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a gate of any desired construction which is hinged on a gate post 1, and the free end 2 of the gate is adapted to coperate with a stop post 3. The gate is adapted to swing in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 1,- and the swinging movement is accomplished by a toggle device B consisting of two bars 4 and having their inner ends connected together bv a hinge 6. The outer end of the bar 4 is connected by a universal or equivalent joint 7 with a bracket 8 which is adjustably mounted on a vertical strip 9 fastened to thegate A.. The bar 5 of the toggle device is attached to a special forni of hinge C which is itself fastened to a supporting post or equivalent structure D, which post is positioned along the roadside a few feet from the gate in a direction toward which the gate swings open. Vhen the gate is closed, as shown in Fig. 1, the toggle device is horizontal; or in other words, the toggle device is locked so thatJ pressure on the gate will not aect the opening thereof, it being necessary to break the toggle device by raising the inner ends of the bars 4 and 5 so that the toggle device as a whole will swing on the hinge C and thereby draw the gate open. As shown in Fig. 7 the bars 4 and 5, which may be made of channel iron, are provided with weights 10, which, together with the weight of the bars, operate to close the gate when the same is released. r1`he hinge C is formed with two leaves 11 and 12 of symmetrical form, each leaf having a flat portion 13 and an obliquely bent skewed portion 14, such latter portion having pintle eyes 15 that receive the pintle 16. By this construction the pintle is disposed at an angle to the plane of the fiat portions 13 of the leaves, and by reason of this construction the toggle device can be collapsed or straightened withoutV Y binding" or restraint, while the gate end 'ofp' the toggle device moves in an arc of a circle around the gate post las a center.

l/Vhen the gate is open, as shown in Fig. 4, the toggle device B is off a'vertical dead center line passing through the hinge Ce, or in other words, the weight of the toggle device is operative on the left side of a vertical line passing through the hinge C, and as a consequence the gate will gravitate to closed position when a latch E is released. This latch is a lever pivoted at 17 to one side of its center, and on the long arm 18 is a depending hook 19 having a beveled sur-1 face20, andthis hook is disposed in the path of the lower bar 21 or equivalent part of the gate, so that as the gate swings -open it will strike thebeveled surface 2O of the latch and raise the latter until the hook 19 isl cleared, when the latch will drop and thereby hold the gate in open position, as

shown in Fig. 4. l/Vhen the latch is released by pressing downwardly on the lighter'arm 1S', the gate will gravitate to closed positien.

Tovenable the gate to be opened at a point suitably., remote therefrom, a pull cable F is connected withv the bar 5 of the toggle device adjacent the hinge 6, and this cable is guided by pulleys 21, on the post D, and at these pulleys the cable is divided into branches ,t and f extending in opposite directions from the` gate, and the free end of either branchl is adapted to be pulled for opening the gate, and for convenience the free ends are supported on out-posts 22, whereby the handles 23. can be reached withoutl a person dismounting from a horse or getting out of a vehicle.

It is desired to cause the gate to close automatically, andi therefore a time-"controlled latch. releasing device Gis employed. This device-,G comprises a vertically movab-lebar 24 carrying a weight 2,5, and on the lower end of the bar is a foot 26, arranged to enu gage the latch E to release thei same when the barmoves downwardly. The upper end 'of the bar is connected with the cable F, so

pulled to open the gate that as the latter is the bar 24 is raised. This bar 24 has rack teeth 27 which mesh with a pinion 28 on a shaft 29 mounted in a box 30, and on this shaft in a loose gear wheel 31 that in turn meshes with a pinion' 32 on a shaft 33 in the box 30. This shaft 33 operates through a'worm wheel 34, and worm 35, a retarding fanv 36 which determines the rate ofmove ment of the rack bar downwardly to release the latch. The gear 31 has a spring-pressed pawl 37 which engages a ratchet wheel 38 on the shaft29, whereby the gear wheel will rotatev with the shaft 29 in one direction only,or whenthe rack bar is descending, but during the upward movement of the rack barV the gear wheel3l isv idle, so that the retarding device 36 will not interfere with the quick upward movement of the rack bar, as when the gate is being thrown open. The parts are so designed that the gate will remain op'en for a sutiicient length of timeto permit a person to drive or ride through the gateway, and then the gate will automatically close, Vsince the time-controlled mechanism G will release the latch E.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will bereadily understood by those skilled inthe -art to which the inventionV appertains, andxwhile 'I have. described the principle of operation, to gether with the mechanism which I now consider to hethe best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the mechf anism shown is merely illustrative and that Y such ychanges may be made whendesired as fall within the scope of the appended' claims.

Having thus described-my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination ofa gate, a, pair'of links forming a toggle device for opening v and closing the gate, said links being in alinement or dead center position when the gate is closed, means connected with kthe links to collapse the toggle; device for opening the gate, a self-setting latch mounted to engage the kgate'when in open position,

and automatic means operatively connectedY with the said means for releasing the-latch, whereby the toggle device automatically closes the gate. 'Y Y 2. The combination .of a gate, a pair of links forming a toggle deviceV for opening and closing the gate, said links being in alinement or dead center position when the gate is closed, meansconnected withthe linksto collapse the toggle device for open-` ingthe gate, a self-setting latch mountedl to engage` the gate when-in open position, and automatic means for releasingr thelatch, whereby they toggle device automatically closes the gate, said means including a timecontrolled device arrangedlto move againstj and release the latch to effect thev closingl of the gate. Y

3. The' combination of a gate, anfup-v wardly folding toggle device consistingof` hingedly connected link members, a ball andv vmechanism operatively latch is released, and automatically operated means for releasing the latch.

et. The combination of a gate, an upwardly folding toggle device connected with the gate for opening and closing the same and adapted to assume a position to nor-y mally lock the gate closed, a latch for holding the gate open, and a time-controlled connected with the said device automatically set simultaneously with the opening of the gate and adapted to release the latch to permit the gate to automatically close after the lapse of a predetermined interval. Q

5. The combination of a road gate, an upwardly folding toggle mechanism for opening and closing the same, a latch for holding the gate open, a gravity-operated means for releasing the latch, and a timing device operatively connected with the said mechanisin for controlling the said means, by the gate closes after the lapse of a predetermined interval from the opening of the gate.

6. The combination of a gate, an upwardly folding toggle device connected with the gate for opening and closing the same, a

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Wherepull cable connected with the device, a latch for holding the gate open, a time-controlled means for automatically releasing the latch after the lapse of a predetermined interval, and means for automatically setting the last-mentioned device with the operationl of the pull cable.

7 The combination of a gate mounted to swing on a vertical axis at one end of the gate, a toggle device consisting of a pair of links pivotally connected, a ball and socket joint between the toggle device and gate, said toggle device being adapted to break upwardly, a fixed support, and a hinge between the support and the end of the toggle device opposite from the gate, said hinge having its .pivotal axis at an angle to permit the gate end of the toggle device to swing in an arc of a circle concentric with the vertical aXis on which the gate swings.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EUGENE PHELPS.

Witnesses M. W. MCLUCAS, L. B. `NHrrn.

Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C. 

